Staying on Track Day to Day

 The process of recovery can be very overwhelming.  Sometimes we get lost in the big picture and forget about the little things we can do each day to stay on track.  

It can be helpful to create daily rituals to reaffirm your dedication to recovery and to remember why you are working so hard.  

The following are some daily activities you can do to help you stay on track.  Pick 2-3 activities and commit to them for at least a week.  At the end of the week, reflect and adjust your activities so they best fit your needs.

• List 3-5 things you are grateful for - remember the little things
• Read something inspirational
• Connect to your spirituality
• Call/talk to one supportive person
• Write down specifics about how you are going to follow your meal plan for the day
• List the reasons why you are following your meal plan and exercise plan TODAY

The Disease of Silence

EATING DISORDERS ARE DISEASES OF SILENCE.

Often, those of us with eating disorders are silently screaming for something - attention, love, understanding, nurturing, help, escape, forgiveness, acceptance, etc.  

But we feel unworthy, unlovable, and undeserving, so we don't ask for help.

We spend so much of our lives denying our needs, that we can actually forget what they are.  We may even lose the ability to ask for help or to communicate effectively with others.

At some point, the ED becomes a silent scream for... something... but even we might not know what that something is.

As a person struggling with an eating disorder, it can be helpful to identify what you are really trying to communicate, what you need, and what you desire.  It can be especially helpful for our support people to understand what is going on beneath the surface of our masks, and the messages our eating disorders are trying to convey.

***Read the list and then scroll all the way down for an activity***

What my eating disorder is trying to tell you...

I desperately want to be accepted

I need to feel loved
I have no idea who I am

I am afraid of life

I hate that life isn't fair 
I just want you to listen
Sometimes the weight of my sadness is unbearable
I hurt myself because it's the only feeling (pain) that I can stand to feel
I am terrified of not being good enough 
I'm afraid of growing up and dealing with all the things a grown-up must think about
Words and actions hurt me even though they aren't meant to